TENERIFE TOURISM ESTIMATES 5.3 MILLION VISITORS IN 2015

Tenerife tourism board expects to close the year with an increase of about a 2% or 3% in tourist arrivals amounting to 5.3 million tourists by year-end.

The announcement was made by the Spanish island’s Tourism Minister, Alberto Bernabé, who attributed the total number so far to the recovery of the Spanish market in particular, and to the stability of international tourism this year.

"This is one of the highest totals recorded historically, together with 2006, with 5.4 million visitors, and 2007 and 2008, also with about 5.3 million visitors," the minister explained in a press release.

"We are back to tourism figures similar to those recorded before the start of the financial crisis, a further sign of recovery and economic dynamism, which is also reflected in the employment figures in the sector," he stated.

Alberto Bernabé explained that these results attest to the work done by Tenerife Tourism especially in terms of connectivity, "a task that has been essential, for example, for the recovery of the Spanish market, which has grown 6.3% so far this year."

New direct flights to the mainland by Vueling, Iberia Express, or the start of local operations by Norwegian Airlines have contributed to the growth of this essential source market for the island.

The minister also highlighted employment opportunities still offered by Tenerife tourism, "a sector which creates 24% of all employment generated on the island."

In this regard, he noted that the statistics confirm "not only growth of around 7.4% in hiring this year, but also a 7% decline in unemployment in the sector."

Inbound Tourism Statistics, prepared by the Island Council and analyzed by the Research Department of Tenerife Tourism, records a total of 4,390,686 tourists from January to October, representing an increase of 1.7% over the same period in 2014. In the first ten months of the year, tourism properties in Tenerife recorded 32,973,281 overnight stays, 0.2% less than the previous year, reflecting the falloff in average stay during the period (-0.14 points) while the occupancy rate stood at 67.7% (+0.7%).

In the analysis of the different source markets, the statistics show a total of 1,072,271 domestic customers staying at Tenerife properties between January and October, which represents a 6.3% increase over the previous year's figures.

International tourism registered a slight increase of 0.3% for a total of 3,318,415 foreign guests. The balance is positive for the British market; with 1,494,694 guests over the period, it increased by 3.8% while German tourists fell by 3.4% to a visitor total of 480,603.

For its part, the French market up until October saw an overall growth of 8.5%, with a total of 158,955guests. The Italian market also experienced a very sharp rise, growing 31.7% over the year with 127,565 tourists.

There were also increases in the Dutch (+ 7.8%), Belgian (+ 4.6%) and Irish (+ 7.1%) markets. In the case of tourists from Eastern Europe, good results throughout the year put these markets in ninth position on the island with a total of 96,955 guests and a 9.6% increase in the first ten months of the year.

By contrast, Nordic tourist arrivals fell 10.7%, recording losses in all markets except Denmark, which rose 7.4% over the period. There was also a decline in the influx of Russian tourists, which was down 49.8% over the previous year.

As for regional indicators, the south of the island recorded 3,457,784 tourists during the first ten months of 2015 and total growth of 1.8% over the previous year. Northern properties, meanwhile, have accommodated 724,906 tourists from January to October which is 0.7% less than in 2014.